Budget Update & Meal Plan for May 21-27

I’m back! April and early May swung totally out of control, between family stuff, my internship, and some intensive work projects. Only in the last week or so, do I feel as though I’ve finally gotten my feet underneath me once more. I will say that, through all of the madness, we did actually stick to our $50-per-week grocery budget (M even did the shopping twice and stuck to the budget!), although there was also a little more ordering out and food waste than I would like, over the course of these weeks. But our budget also worked, because, even with the cost of ordering out a little more frequently, we had that little bit of padding in our bank accounts to cover it. Up until this year, that padding would have already been spent on groceries, that would likely have still gone uncooked in favor of the convenience of ordered food. And then we would have found ourselves in a bit of a jam.

Anyways, this week’s dinners are–as usual–guided by the produce that came in our Hungry Harvest Produce Box. It so happens that using all the various veggies in the box (plus a few left over from last week) created a weekly menu made entirely of our household’s Go-To recipes. We make all of these so, so often. It will be a nice way to ease back in to cooking most nights of the week.

I am in the very (very) beginning stages of attempting to meal plan in two-week increments, instead of one. I’ve noticed that it may be easier to spend $100 every two weeks–all those times that I am a dollar or two short from a more budget-friendly (i.e. larger) item would be easier to work into our budget. Plus, through Hungry Harvest, we can get a slightly larger produce box delivered every two weeks for much less than $30. This opens up a little more to spend at the store. It would be easier to stretch meats and dairy and other higher-cost items, too. I want to do a couple sample two-week plans before we commit, of course. It add another element to our meal-planning, in that I would not have to think about which vegetables might spoil faster–those would have to be eaten in week one, while the hardier veggies are saved for week two. I’m merely playing around with my options right now, but I will certainly keep you up to date!

Here is what we spent this week:

(Ignore the weird spacing–the cashier had to adjust bananas that rang up incorrectly)

Hungry Harvest Produce Box: $22.00 I added on the pound of cherries and two pounds of rhubarb–all the fruit for me, please!

*I do appreciate that my spinach is organic, but the $0.50 more I paid for it was actually to get the spinach in a plastic box over a bag–the fragile leaves stay much fresher in the box!

Here is what we are eating this week:

Sunday: Out? If I don’t get dinner while I am running around to various places, I’ll probably make some with eggs, veggies, and some bacon/sausage. A frittata or omelet, maybe.

Monday: Fajitas with Portobello Mushrooms, Onions & Peppers, Corn Salad, and Guacamole Meat is as of yet undetermined–maybe some of the chicken, but we also have steak and shrimp in the freezer. The onions are from the pantry and the corn is from last week’s HH box. We’ll also use some of the tomatoes, and tortillas from the pantry.

Tuesday: Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad This is the most recent addition to my list of quick staples! Exactly as it sounds: all the piece of a classic chicken caesar salad, just swapping the croutons with cooked (and cooled) GF noodles to make a cold pasta salad. We’ll use the chicken breast and the romaine, plus some parmesan and noodles from the pantry. I’m home late, but I can cook the chicken while the pasta cooks and get this dinner on the table in about 20 minutes!

Wednesday: Portobello Mushroom Risotto, with Roasted Tomatoes and Kale Salad Two classics, using some of the tomatoes and mushrooms from this week’s box, plus kale from last week’s. We have broth in the freezer and everything else (arborio rice, cranberries, nuts, etc) in the pantry.

Thursday: Out My coworkers and I will be celebrating our boss’ birthday

Friday: Grilling! Protein with yellow squash, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes Basically, whatever protein isn’t chosen for the fajitas earlier this week, plus the rest of the veggies from last week’s HH box. We are expecting rain until Thursday, so I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that the squash will stay good for that long.

Saturday: Tofu & Broccoli Pad Thai This meal is actually entirely from the pantry–it’s a dish we did not get to last week. I might swap the noodles for rice and play around with a different sauce, if I’m feeling creative, but I know we have all the ingredients for Pad Thai on hand, because I love it. 🙂

Breakfasts will be Berry & Spinach Smoothies (trying to get back on that smoothie train). Lunches will be sandwiches (we have ham in the fridge), dinner leftovers, or hardboiled eggs.

About Kaity

My name is Kaity. I write about food, my dog, and life as a full-time arts admin and part-time grad student. I have a lasting devotion to lemons. I read too much as a child and now I'm trying to bring back that habit. I like to pretend that I know how to garden. I also happen to be gluten-free.